Vancouver answers from a Vancouverite (part 2)

I have no idea who you have booked with but Aerocar has the contract for limo service from YVR. There is no need to reserve, they have lots of limos waiting at the curb at YVR as you exit the terminal. The also have a flat rate. Here is a link for your convenience:

 

http://www.yvr.ca/en/getting-to-from-yvr/hired-sedans-limousines.aspx

I realize there is no need to reserve, however I am trying to pay for as much as possible BEFORE the cruise. I am also aware that Aerocar has the contract for the airport, but Highend Limo is the limo division of that company as noted on the confirmation email I received from them. As I will be arriving at noon, probably through customs at 1pm, I was worried about the customer service of the company, since they have poor reviews on trip advisor. But thanks for your reply anyway.

I am very sorry that I was unable to help. I had no knowledge of Highend being associated with Aerocar. However I did phone Aerocar just out of curiosity and they did confirm that Highend is a division of theirs but specializes in larger limos for graduations, weddings and alike. I asked if a reservation reply would have come from Highend and they said not normally. I also checked the reviews of Aerocar on both Yelp and TripAdvisor and found that there are very few on either site and none later than last year. Given the thousands of rides Aerocar provides in a year I would suggest that dozen or less poor reviews is hardly indicative of the service they provide. I would also think that YVR would not keep Aerocar around if there were a lot of problems. They did dismiss one company a few years back that were a problem for them.

I am very sorry that I was unable to help. I had no knowledge of Highend being associated with Aerocar. However I did phone Aerocar just out of curiosity and they did confirm that Highend is a division of theirs but specializes in larger limos for graduations, weddings and alike. I asked if a reservation reply would have come from Highend and they said not normally. I also checked the reviews of Aerocar on both Yelp and TripAdvisor and found that there are very few on either site and none later than last year. Given the thousands of rides Aerocar provides in a year I would suggest that dozen or less poor reviews is hardly indicative of the service they provide. I would also think that YVR would not keep Aerocar around if there were a lot of problems. They did dismiss one company a few years back that were a problem for them.

Putterdude, thanks for taking the time to call them. I am sure there will be no problems, but I was just concerned considering the reviews. The info you locals provide is wonderful. On our roll call (Celebrity Solstice 9/22/15 to Hawaii) we plan on meeting for drinks @ the St. Regis on 9/21. If in town you should stop by.

Putterdude, thanks for taking the time to call them. I am sure there will be no problems, but I was just concerned considering the reviews. The info you locals provide is wonderful. On our roll call (Celebrity Solstice 9/22/15 to Hawaii) we plan on meeting for drinks @ the St. Regis on 9/21. If in town you should stop by.

Hope everything works out for you. Thanks for the invitation however I will hardly be back from 3 weeks in the UK so not likely I will be able to join you.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their help with planning my time in Vancouver! Thanks to you, everything was very organized and we had a great time during our pre-cruise stay! I thought I would post a brief summary and our thoughts!

HOTEL: We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on Burrard. It took about half an hour or so to get to from the airport by taxi (traffic was pretty bad!) and was $31 plus tip. We loved the hotel! The location was perfect and was walking distance to everything, lots of restaurants nearby, a McDonald's and Tim Hortons literally a few steps away next door (attached through the adjoining mall too!), Starbucks in the lobby, etc. We had a room on the 28th floor with a partial ocean view and the room was perfect! I wrote a review on TripAdvisor so I'll leave it at that!

ACTIVITIES:

Day 1: We had pre-purchased HoHo trolley tickets on Viator. With a coupon code on their mobile app, we paid $36CAD pp for a 2-day ticket. There's a trolley stop right at the Hyatt so very convenient. Service was hit and miss... We usually didn't have to wait long but I did have to call the company on 2 occasions to find out the ETA of the next bus, and one of those involved a 1 hour total wait! Fortunately they DO send overfill trolleys for when they're full so you won't be stranded! We were saved by these overfill ones twice, and they followed immediately behind the regular ones. Commentary from drivers was also hit and miss (mostly good - 1 bad).

So on the first day we used the trolley to get to Stanley Park after checking into our hotel and grabbing a bite at Japadog down the street. We got off at the totem poles and despite our plans to get back on, we ended up walking along the sea wall ALL the way around the park! We caught the shuttle back from The Teahouse (that was the one we waited an hour for!). Fortunately the driver dropped us off across from the Hyatt instead of at Canada Place!

We relaxed for a while and then went to the Fly Over Canada 4D movie at Canada Place! Highly recommend it! We had dinner afterwards at Hapa Izakaya near the convention centre and enjoyed it, however the service was somewhat abrupt as we were there near closing.

Day 2: we had pre-booked zip-lining on Grouse Mountain for 10:30am. We went to DeDutch at the Convention Centre for breakfast overlooking the float plane terminal and enjoyed the food and the view! We then walked over to Canada Place and took the free Grouse Mountain shuttle (coach bus!) at 9am. We arrived at 9:30am and took the gondola up to the plateau. We enjoyed the ride up as it was not busy at that hour. We then went to see the Bears for a while before meeting up for the ziplining. The zipline tour was fun, although I'll warn if you're not in good shape, watch out! It's quite a hike up and over to some of the lines and I was definitely struggling! If you are in good shape, go for it! We also did the Eye of the Wind and felt it was worth the extra $10 for the spectacular views.

We then took the Grouse Mountain shuttle bus again which did a stop at Capilano park. It was VERY busy there so we had to stand in line for tickets, and the bridge itself was VERY busy and therefore very shaky but we enjoyed it (after getting over the initial shock of the movement and holding on for dear life!). We took the free Capilano shuttle back to the Hyatt and cleaned up and then headed out for dinner at Joey.

We then walked to the opposite end of Burrard Street to the bridge to watch the Honda Festival of Lights fireworks show! The bridge was a fabulous place to watch, although right around the starting time it got quite busy right behind us which was somewhat unpleasant. We walked back to our hotel and called it a night after the fireworks.

Day 3: we used the second day of our HoHo ticket today. We took the shuttle to the rose garden at Stanley Park. It was nice. Then we walked to the Vancouver Aquarium. We spent a few hours there and enjoyed it! Make sure to catch a show if you can! We saw the Belugas and the Dolphin training. We then took the HoHo shuttle to False Creek and took the ferry (free coupon with the HoHo trolley) to Granville Island. It was a beautiful day so we grabbed some lunch and ate outside watching the world go by. We then walked around both inside and out for a while before catching the HoHo trolley back to Canada Place. Fortunately the driver dropped us near our hotel again at the request of some others on the bus! We grabbed some gelato down the street and then headed back for a shower.

We went to Cactus Club Cafe (Coal Harbour location) for dinner and we loved the food and the views! Make sure you have reservations because it was jam-packed!!! But the view of the sunset through the open windows was top-notch! It was then time for a stroll around Canada Place to take some pictures of the lit up sails, then back to the hotel to bed!

Day 4: Woke up and had a quick breakfast from Tim Hortons and then grabbed a taxi to the pier. It cost about $8 or $9. Check-in for the cruise was extremely fast and easy! We arrived around 11:30 and we were onboard before noon and hung around the pool until rooms were ready. By the time we had lunch at 2, the buffet had died down!

I won't go into details about our cruise here but we had a great time!

Overall, our Vancouver planning paid off and we had a fabulous time! We LOVED the city, it was so easy to get around, and everyone was very helpful! I would definitely love to go back again! I also think the way we structured our days worked really well and would recommend similar timing for anyone looking to do the same activities! Just make sure you bring very comfortable shoes!!! We walked 15-18kms each day in Vancouver and that was totally unexpected!

Just some tips:

- Book the Hyatt on Hotwire! At the time we booked, it was the only 4.5 star in the Coal Harbour neighbourhood! We saved a lot booking on there (although still paid $230/night including tax. I would highly recommend the hotel though!!!

- There's a Rexall in the small mall attached to the Hyatt if you need any last minute items. The bottled water we bought there (their own store brand) was very cheap (12 for $1.99 plus the bottle deposit), although not the greatest tasting. It served it's purpose though and was delivered to our room on the ship after leaving it with our luggage, tagged in plastic bags. We also purchased bottled coke there and it was delivered onboard after checking it in with no issues as well!

- DeDutch was great for breakfast but go early - it fills up quickly!

- Cactus Club - must eat there! Loved it!

- Hapa Izakaya - great Japanese food with a twist but don't go near closing time because the kitchen will shut down on you! We weren't even able to order dessert!

Joey - great food and service

If anyone has any questions, please let me know!

And once again, thank you so much to all of the Vancouvites for helping with my planning!

Thanks for coming back to post your experience, especially in such detail. Glad you enjoyed our fair city!

Wow, I am not sure that I have ever seen such a detailed review on Vancouver. Glad you had such a good time, this has certainly been the summer to visit Vancouver. Incidentally, I quite agree with you about the Hyatt Regency, it is my first choice in Vancouver and have often said in this forum that it is "centre ice" in Vancouver.

Loved your review of Vancouver, highly recommend you put it on the TripAdvisor page as it will come in handy for many visitors. Also stay at the Hyatt and love it's location and amenities.

Just some tips:

- DeDutch was great for breakfast but go early - it fills up quickly!

- Cactus Club - must eat there! Loved it!

- Hapa Izakaya - great Japanese food with a twist but don't go near closing time because the kitchen will shut down on you! We weren't even able to order dessert!

Joey - great food and service

• Good point about reservations at popular eateries.
  
• yes most restaurants do close their kitchens around 9pm. The long summer daylight means many forget about the 9pm cutoff. The better servers will remind customers about the deadline so you can submit "last call" orders.
  
• there's a few places that open much later into the evening downtown. The hotel is a good reference for these places.
  

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2013/12/vancouvers-best-late-night-eats-downtown/

http://www.yelp.ca/search?find_desc=late+night+food&find_loc=Vancouver%2C+BC

Thanks all! I have gone ahead and posted it on the TripAdvisor forum as well! :) Hopefully it will be of use to others planning trips to Vancouver!

I don't know if this question has been discussed before so I'm sorry if it's a repeat. How does Canada Day impact Canada Place and public transportation? We are considering a Southbound that disembarks in Vancouver on July 1 which I just learned is Canada Day. We were considering touring Vancouver for the day (Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, or a HOHO tour) then getting a late flight out that night. Is this an unreal expectation in light of it being Canada Day? :confused:

Just stopping in to thank everyone who helped me out making choices for my pre-cruise stay in Vancouver.

We ended up choosing the Victorian Hotel and it was a great choice for us. We are "stairs" people so we didn't miss the lack of elevator. And the lack of A/C was overcome with a good fan in the room (and I overheat easily, so if it worked for me, that's saying a great deal). The staff was wonderfully helpful. I would definitely stay there again. Special note: There is a world map in a corner of the lobby where you can stick in a pin designating your home location ... we were apparently the first folks from Cleveland who were interested in doing so. The White Spot restaurant on the corner was very convenient for a quick reasonably priced dinner.

We did the Wednesday evening Forbidden Cities Walking Tour of Gastown, which was a great way to stretch our legs after a day in airports and on airplanes. Very well-done. An intriguing way to take in some of the architecture and the history of Vancouver. Interesting note: The first stop on the tour just happened to be the Victorian Hotel ... so we learned a great deal about the history of our personal lodging!

We made the early morning trip to Capillano and did the Cliff Walk first (since everybody else was going for the bridge) ... we had it virtually to ourselves. It was an amazing experience ... definitely my favorite part of the day. By the time we walked across the bridge, traversed the Treetop Adventure and completed the other walking trails, it was two solid lines of people crossing the bridge (Moral: get there early).

We had a nice sit-down lunch in Stanley Park, did the Aquarium in the afternoon and collapsed that evening.

Next morning we walked to the port (about 15-minute walk) ... very do-able as long as you've got good wheels on your luggage

I don't know if this question has been discussed before so I'm sorry if it's a repeat. How does Canada Day impact Canada Place and public transportation? We are considering a Southbound that disembarks in Vancouver on July 1 which I just learned is Canada Day. We were considering touring Vancouver for the day (Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, or a HOHO tour) then getting a late flight out that night. Is this an unreal expectation in light of it being Canada Day? :confused:

Canada Place itself will be hoaching all day - it's one of the sites for celebrating the day. There will be folks in from the 'burbs for the party, so it will be busy downtown - but not as busy as, say, Pride weekend. As long as you're not on SkyTrain after the fireworks finish (c.11pm) the crowds won't be too ridiculous to prevent you using the system. I'd definitely suggest making use of the Priority Baggage 'send your bags to the airport' service as a good idea though, so you don't have to return to the pier if you don't want to and you won't need to lug bags on transit with the crowds.

Grouse & Cap, being out of town, won't have as big an issue; likewise, while HOHOs might see a bit more traffic than usual on the roads, folks who are downtown to party don't tend to ride the HOHO so there won't be more bums on seats on the vehicles.

Busier than any other arbitrary summer day for tourists downtown? Yes, but you couldn't ask for better crowds - folks are all there to have a good time, in a family-friendly way, and if you do stay until the evening you'll get a parade, some fireworks, and a chance of the Olympic Cauldron being fired up again, something that rarely happens any other time.

Thanks so much! This really helps. Is sending our bags to the airport something we can do from the pier?

Thanks so much! This really helps. Is sending our bags to the airport something we can do from the pier?

Yes - Priority Baggage, who operate the luggage storage facility at the pier, are also part of the company who run the ones at the airport. For $40 they'll send up to 4 bags, $10 per extra bag, to YVR by around 4:30pm. As long as you book a flight at 6:30pm or later you should have enough time to collect the bags at the YVR location in your terminal before you check in, do security, immigration if flying back to the US etc.

I don't know if this question has been discussed before so I'm sorry if it's a repeat. How does Canada Day impact Canada Place and public transportation? We are considering a Southbound that disembarks in Vancouver on July 1 which I just learned is Canada Day. We were considering touring Vancouver for the day (Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, or a HOHO tour) then getting a late flight out that night. Is this an unreal expectation in light of it being Canada Day? :confused:

In addition to congestion...

• expect road closures along "Canada Place road" between the two convention centres. The Grouse and Capilano shuttles are likely to have their pickup points relocated to Cordova or Hastings. Pay attention to the signage/staff likely to be there to guide you for potential relocations.
  
• you have a bonus treat as you will be able to get pictures of the Olympic caldron as it will be ignited for your arrival that day.
  
• fireworks will be around the cruise terminal at night (but you will be on your flight that time)
  
• for 2016, this will be an extended long weekend as Canadians will be there Friday and Americans will be celebrating their day on Monday.
  
• get to Capilano and Grouse as early as possible. Expect congestion on the suspension bridges and gondola. Don't get stuck at the top of the mountain or the other side of the Capilano bridges.
  
• the subway to the airport will be heavier, but unaffected for your trip to the airport. Do pay attention to which trains.... the wrong train will take you to the Orient (Richmond).
  

Yes - Priority Baggage, who operate the luggage storage facility at the pier, are also part of the company who run the ones at the airport. For $40 they'll send up to 4 bags, $10 per extra bag, to YVR by around 4:30pm. As long as you book a flight at 6:30pm or later you should have enough time to collect the bags at the YVR location in your terminal before you check in, do security, immigration if flying back to the US etc.

Thank you! This will be a great help.

Yep for you... after customs, look for the car rentals booth... to the right is CDS baggage. They offer the $40 luggage service to the airport.

 

In addition to congestion...

• expect road closures along "Canada Place road" between the two convention centres. The Grouse and Capilano shuttles are likely to have their pickup points relocated to Cordova or Hastings. Pay attention to the signage/staff likely to be there to guide you for potential relocations.
  
• you have a bonus treat as you will be able to get pictures of the Olympic caldron as it will be ignited for your arrival that day.
  
• fireworks will be around the cruise terminal at night (but you will be on your flight that time)
  
• for 2016, this will be an extended long weekend as Canadians will be there Friday and Americans will be celebrating their day on Monday.
  
• get to Capilano and Grouse as early as possible. Expect congestion on the suspension bridges and gondola. Don't get stuck at the top of the mountain or the other side of the Capilano bridges.
  
• the subway to the airport will be heavier, but unaffected for your trip to the airport. Do pay attention to which trains.... the wrong train will take you to the Orient (Richmond).
  

Thank you for the information! I'm so grateful to everyone on these boards for sharing their knowledge and experiences, it really helps to have a heads up on these things to be able to avoid some stress :)

We are sailing out of Vancouver on Sept 22 leaving at 5pm, there will be 2 ships in port, I'd like to spend as much time in Vancouver as I can.

What would be a good time to arrive at the port?

We are sailing out of Vancouver on Sept 22 leaving at 5pm, there will be 2 ships in port, I'd like to spend as much time in Vancouver as I can.

 

What would be a good time to arrive at the port?

As late as they'll let you! Check your docs: probably 90mins before departure is the indicated cutoff time - and at that point the queues should be pretty much nonexistent.

Will be in Vancouver 9/20-9/22 before start of cruise. Staying at Blue Horizon, What are suggestions for going to Grouse Mtn from morning till mid afternoon on 9/21. Suggested tours or any shuttles to there. Thanks

Will be in Vancouver 9/20-9/22 before start of cruise. Staying at Blue Horizon, What are suggestions for going to Grouse Mtn from morning till mid afternoon on 9/21. Suggested tours or any shuttles to there. Thanks

Free shuttle still runs until the end of September. Otherwise it's either public transit ($4pp each way, about 50mins with one connection) or a cab (ballpark $30-35+tip, 20mins). Unless you also plan to visit other North Shore attractions the shuttle is undoubtedly easiest.

Thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge of Vancouver. We have heard that Canada Place can be quite busy upon disembarkation. Rather than wait for a taxi we were hoping to walk to our hotel - L'Hermitage. Is this feasible?

Thanks again,

PJ

Yes like any port that disembarks cruise passengers it can be busy waiting for a taxi - from your signature it appears you are on the Solstice and will share Canada Place with a HAL ship - it is usually considered by the experts to be quicker to walk outside the terminal and get the bell hops at either the Pan Pacific or Fairmont Waterfront which are part of the Canada Place/Waterfront Center complex to get you a taxi and return the favor with a tip.

As for walking - yes it is feasible - I live in the downtown core and a little further than your hotel and unless it is raining heavily usually walk to the port with one medium size rolling suitcase and my day pack. It is slightly up hill.

Other locals will likely be around shortly to offer their opinion.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Dennis

Dennis,

Thank you so much for your quick reply. So we shall walk if it's not raining or proceed to The Fairmont Waterfront if it is. We are looking forward to our visit to your beautiful city.

Thank you again,

PJ